AsianFest: a Festival of Asian Gastronomy

See a Samurai performance, get a Thai massage and sample Korean cuisine at AsianFest. Taking place on April 30th 2016 at Výstavište Holešovice, AsianFest is an entirely new concept that has not been seen in Prague before. The festival will feature food from China, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam and Korea as well as cultural performances including a Japanese tea ceremony.

“The main goal of this event is to deliver AsianFest customers an authentic experience of the Far East, whether through the busy streets of Chinatown or the sunny vibes of the Thai Ko Pha Ngan beaches,” says Jiří Zuska the festival director. The event is partnered with Prague.TV as its main English language media partner, Czech–Chinese–Asian Chamber of Commerce (CCACC) and others.

Split into several different districts, the festival is designed to walk you through the countries step-by-step. Every area will be decorated traditionally: special workshops and performances will add to the ambiance, making the experience cultural as well as culinary.

Main Street: Walking through the grand entrance, visitors will find themselves on the bustling Main Street. The starting point offers information stands to guide you through the festival, a bank to purchase tokens used as currency to simplify payments and plenty of entertainment to get you into the spirit of AsianFest.

The Asian Garden Cinema will be playing a great selection of movies and short films, a Thai Spa will offer muscle relief treatment and a nail salon will do manicures. There will even be martial arts and calligraphy workshops for visitors to experience something completely new and unique to Asia.

Korea: Offering popular delicacies such as Kimchi, Bibimbap, Sushi, Ramyun and other treats. The stands are right next to the entrance to Sea World where you can discover aquatic life while you devour Korea food in the special seating area. According to the festival’s website, the aquatic ambiance represents the Korea’s surrounding Pacific waters.

Asian Palace: Just left of Korea, the VIP zone for “First-Class” travelers has its own entrance past a red carpet filled with photo-ops. The oriental-themed lounge bar and restaurant combine the atmosphere of peaceful rice terraces of Vietnam with the Zen gardens of Japan. The wide selection of soft drinks offered at the exclusive bar is included in the price of the ticket.

Ko Phangam Beach: Housing the main stage, the area right by the chill-out area is modeled after the beautiful beaches of Thailand. With a great party vibe, the biggest bar of the festival will serve a variety of exotic cocktails that you can sip while witnessing a Samurai battle, the Chinese lion dance and beautiful dance performances.

Japan: Decorated with Sakura (cherry blossom) trees, this area of the festival will offer Sushi-making workshops as well as Sake tasting. The menu will go beyond the most popular nigiri and maki rolls: uramaki or inside-out sushi with seaweed on the inside, gunkan nigiri with the ingredients on top of the rice wrapped in a boat shape, triangular temaki and sashimi will tickle your taste buds.

Thailand: Sweet, salty, sour and spicy foods will be offered in a beautiful myriad of colors. Everything from Pad Thai to Curries will be available to visitors along with other authentic foods: everything will be prepared by Prague’s top Thai restaurants.

Vietnam: Crispy Bánh mì, Phở noodle soups and lesser known dishes such as Bánh cuốn. Relish the flavors and culture of the third largest minority living in the Czech Republic: Vietnamese food goes far beyond the menus of Pho restaurants in Prague. Did you know that Vietnam is known as “the land of the ascending dragon”?

Chinatown: Last but definitely not least, the largest district of AsianFest is the one and only Chinatown. Decorated with lanterns and dragons, this district is as busy and lively as the streets of Shanghai. The stalls offer Dim-Sum dumplings, crispy Peking duck, sizzling beef and much more. The best part however, will be the Dragon dance: rare to witness outside of China, the traditional dance will take your breath away. The Dragon is the symbol of China and represents power, dignity and good fortune.

This event will truly transport visitors into Asia and introduce them to cuisine and culture from five diverse cultures. The festival announces a high interest in tickets, as the first round of early bird tickets are already gone. There are still three different types of tickets available for this unique festival: General Admissions, Business Class and First Class (VIP). You can get more information on AsianFest’s website, Facebook or Instagram.